From Middle Management to The Head Brass!
To be adept with accessories, you need to be able to find them when you want them, and know they are in excellent condition. As inconsequential as they may seem, they are the details that make the difference between looking fabulous or not. If you want to look professional and even worth more money – upgrade your accessories if they are looking ordinary (and your hair for that matter). With more flexibility in dress codes today, this doesn’t mean that dress standards should slip. We will cover accessories worn on the top part of the body including watches, scarves, jewellery, eyeglasses, hair accessories and even those hidden business accessories that get produced in occasions.
Let start with The Watch!
The ultimate emblem of efficiency, it needs to be a quality plain and simple analog, either in gold or silver (or a combination of both). The band should be leather, metal, or a woven fabric (grosgrain) in black, navy or brown for business – or if you work in less corporate environments, then you have many more choices.
Scarves
Scarves can reinvent a classic suit with a splash of colour, texture and pattern. In silk, it is both luxurious and glamorous, and when hand-rolled at the edges, signifies high quality. Aim for balance. Larger scarves and shawls suit a larger framed body, a two-small scarf will make a larger framed person look larger. Similarly, a smaller frame can look overwhelmed in a large scarf. Learn to knot and tie them in a multitude of ways.
Jewellery
Oversized, overstated, very expensive and jangling jewellery is a distraction in the workplace. Business jewellery should say discretion, quality and elegance.
Size counts. Wear jewellery to suit your body proportions. Many women think that wearing a small gold chain with everything covers ‘all bases’. It’s boring, lacks imagination, and may suggest you lack confidence.
If your colouring is delicate, avoid wearing large heavier-looking pieces. Conversely, if your colouring is stronger, avoid small necklaces – they will look insignificant.
If your jewellery has a colour, make certain that the same or similar colour is evident in your outfit.
If your hair is short or worn off your face, earrings are important to achieve a polished look.
Does the jewellery you wear in business stop moving when you do? It should!!
Eyeglasses
They are the ‘window’ through which we are noticed, and can imply intelligence, and glamour. Apart from function, they can direct attention to the face. It’s important to get the shape and proportion correct. Do you want to appear strong? Dramatic? Sophisticated? Unconventional? Interesting? Choose your frames accordingly.
Hair Accessories
For taming a wild mane or simply personal expression, the hair accessory in business should be simple, elegant and unfussy. Avoid overly large effects – bows and hair ‘clamps’ and printed scrunchies should be banished forever.
The Gloves
Fine knit cashmere orwool is elegant. Leather and suede is sporty. A colour that blends with your outfit says business, while a contrasting pair adds sizzle.
The Business Card Holder
Invest in one straight away if you don’t have one. It shows personal organization when placing a newly acquired business card in a specially designated place – and they keep your cards free of soiling and edge-wear.
The Pen
A ‘purchased-by-the-gross’ plastic disposable doesn’t say something positive about you. Your pen should be first rate quality and feel good to hold. Go for plain black or navy, or plain silver if you can’t afford that distinctive one right away. Watch it – they stray!
The Umbrella
I am forever shocked when I see a business person running for cover clutching a shabby looking umbrella – worse if the spokes are showing. So – you only need one on a rainy day getting to and from work and perhaps at lunch time. That doesn’t mean that any old umbrella will do. Purchase a new one when yours starts to look tired. And like pens, they do stray so don’t do the designer version – just keep to a simple black with wooden or silver handle and you won’t cry in anguish if it gets left somewhere or strays on it’s own accord.
Best of business – Evelyn Lundstrom.
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Evelyn Lundstrom Oct 1 2011 - 05:17
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